SayabecQuebec

It lies in La Matapédia. Some 1,763 people live in this town, in Quebec.

Photo: ipatboy (Patrick) · CC BY-SA 2.0

Population

1,763

people, 2025 estimate

Median age

years · Quebec’s towns: 44.8

Postsecondary

42%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

Is Sayabec a good place to live?

Where it does best is cost of living (A). The local economy is weaker than most (C−). Hazard risk is higher than most (C−).

With fewer than 2,500 residents, Sayabec gets subject grades but no overall one among Canadian towns.

This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Safety is the Sûreté du Québec unit's figure for the whole MRC. No School Grade: this province doesn't publish comparable results school by school. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.

StrongestACost of livingWeakestC⁻Hazard risk C⁻Jobs & income

How Sayabec grades

Each subject compares Sayabec with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.

How grading works

With fewer than 2,500 residents, Sayabec gets subject grades but no overall one among Canadian towns.

Cost of livingBased on what homes cost against what households earnAOpen →Hazard riskAmong the most exposed to natural hazardsC⁻Open →Jobs & incomeNear the bottom of the towns comparedC⁻Open →WalkabilityBased on walking, cycling and transit to everyday placesB⁺Open →HealthResidents are healthier than in most townsB⁺Open →SafetyBetter than most of the towns comparedBOpen →

SchoolsIn Quebec, there’s no schools grade: the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

What makes Sayabec stand out

The 3 things Sayabec does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Home value ÷ household income

Housing

2.2 times household income

Against 4.7 for the median of Canadian towns

Median owner’s estimate $125,000, Census 2021; income for 2020.

Median household income, 2020

Income

$55,600 median household income

The median of Canadian towns: $81,000

Statistics Canada, Census 2021: household income in 2020.

Cost of living

Better than 93%

of Canadian towns on cost of living

Its cost of living grade: A.

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Sayabec.

HousingCost of living A

Rent takes less of local pay in Sayabec than in Quebec’s towns or Canadian towns: 14% of household income

$125,000median home value, 2021ACost of living Grade

Shelter took 30% or more of income for just over one in ten households, lower than both Quebec’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Households that own their home make up 70%.

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Sayabec$125,000

Quebec$300,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Sayabec	Quebec	Canada
Rent as a share of income	14%	18%	20%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	11%	13%	18%

$452

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

$620

median monthly shelter cost for owners, 2021

Full pageSayabec’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting$452 a month · The median rent at the 2021 census Cost of living2.2 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $125,000, against the median household income Owners and renters70% own their home

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Home values are owners’ own estimates at the May 2021 census, and incomes are for 2020.

Natural hazardsHazard risk C⁻

Wildfire low, radon 14%: how Sayabec stands on hazards

Lowwildfire bandC⁻Hazard risk Grade

The radon tests numbers here cover the Bas-Saint-Laurent health region

Earthquakes are expected to cost $0.065 a year for every $1,000 of buildings, lower than Quebec’s towns ($0.14) yet higher than Canadian towns ($0.030). Flood mapping: none on the national inventory for Sayabec.

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Sayabec14%

Quebec’s towns8.2%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Sayabec	Quebec	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	14%	8.2%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.065	$0.14	$0.030

$0.065

expected earthquake loss a year per $1,000 of buildings

Low

wildfire band

23 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

Full pageSayabec’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

Radon14% of tests above the guideline WildfireLow wildfire band · No land burned within 25 km since 1986 FloodNo flood study on record Earthquakes$0.065 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

Climate

Summers stay cool in Sayabec: July afternoons reach 22.9°C, below Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

22.9°CJuly afternoons

January is the snowiest month, with 72 cm on average. Some 323 cm of snow falls in a typical year, higher than both Quebec’s towns (217 cm) and Canadian towns (141 cm). Gardeners get 150 frost-free days, from 16 May to 14 October. A normal October brings 97 mm of precipitation, more than any other month.

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter−5.4°C

Spring6.4°C

Summer21.6°C

Autumn10.2°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Sayabec	Quebec	Canada
Snowfall a year	323 cm	217 cm	141 cm
July afternoon high	22.9°C	26.5°C	25.5°C
Days with frost a year	172	161	159
January night low	−15.4°C	−14.7°C	−13.5°C

323 cm

of snow a year

172

days with frost a year

150

frost-free days, 16 May to 14 Oct

132

days with precipitation a year

Full pageSayabec’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 22.9°C, January lows −15.4°C Rain and snow932 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow323 cm of snow a year Weather station40 km to the station · Mont-Joli

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Mont-Joli)

Work & commuteJobs & income C⁻

Commuters in Sayabec have a short way to work, 20 min on average, less than in both Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

8%walk, cycle or take transit

The car carried 88% of commuters at the census.

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van88%

Walk5%

Bicycle3%

Census 2021	Sayabec	Quebec	Canada
Average trip	20 min	27 min	26 min
Car or van	88%	90%	89%

$55,600

median household income, 2020

worked from home, May 2021

51%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageSayabec’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment7.7% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work8% walk, cycle or take transit Where people commute to120 commuters · The biggest flow out: to Amqui

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Census day was in May 2021, mid-pandemic, so commuting and work figures carry the lockdowns’ mark.

HealthHealth B⁺

Very good or excellent health for 60% of adults around Sayabec; the typical Canadian town: 52%

60%very good or excellent healthB⁺Health Grade

Source area for health survey and life expectancy: the Région du Bas-Saint-Laurent

The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 15% of adults, between Quebec’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (17%). Lives in the region last 81.7 years on average (2022/2024): 83.1 for women, 80.3 for men. For Sayabec itself the measure is access, and it lags: 22 km to the nearest hospital, where 3.7 km is typical.

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Sayabec60%

Quebec’s towns56%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Sayabec	Quebec	Canada
Very good or excellent health	60%	56%	52%
Chronic conditions (average share)	15%	15%	17%
Life expectancy at birth	81.7	82.5	81.5

81.7

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

22 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

1.1 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageSayabec’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey60% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care22 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 1.1 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 83.1, men 80.3 Conditions and habits15% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities

SafetySafety B

Sayabec gets a B for safety

54Crime Severity Index

Across its police area, there are 11.7 property incidents per 1,000 residents a year. The violent index for its police area came to 104, above Quebec’s towns (88) and Canadian towns (86) alike.

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202370

202446

202545

2023–2025	Sayabec	Quebec	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	11.7	16.6	31.2
Violent Crime Severity Index	104	88	86
Crime Severity Index	54	56	67

non-violent Crime Severity Index

63%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageSayabec’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety54 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Sayabec’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Sayabec safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average · Data for Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000 covers Matapédia MRC

Who lives here

Sayabec skews older, with 27% of residents 65 or over, more than in both Quebec’s towns and Canadian towns

52median age

13% speak both English and French, lower than Quebec’s towns (44%) yet higher than Canadian towns (7.5%). One measure of family life: 14% of residents are under 15.

SayabecQuebecCanada

QuebecCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

27%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree30%

Postsecondary qualification42%

Women and men · all residents

Women make up 48.1% of Sayabec

Here the census found 820 women and 885 men; across Canada the share of women is 50.9%.

Who lives in Sayabec
	Sayabec	Quebec	Canada
Under 15	14%	17%	16%
15 to 64	60%	62%	64%
65+	27%	20%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	30%	19%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	42%	59%	56%

Full pageSayabec’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages52 median age · 27% are 65 or over Households815 households · 2.1 people per household Immigrants0% belong to a visible minority English and French13% speak both · 87% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Quebec and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

Outdoors

Protected land is absent from the 10 km around Sayabec

0%of the land within 10 km protected

Within 5 km are 2 beaches; Plage du Chalet-à-Soucy is the nearest. National parks are all over 100 km off. The nearest provincial park, Bic National Park (Québec), is 71 km away.

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Sayabec0%

Quebec’s towns4.9%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Sayabec	Quebec	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	0%	4.9%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	0	10	4

71 km

to Bic National Park (Québec)

beaches within 5 km

Full pageSayabec’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas0 protected areas within 10 km National & provincial parks71 km to a provincial park · Bic National Park (Québec)

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

Schools

In and around Sayabec, 4 schools: 3 elementary schools and 1 secondary school

4schools within 3 km

School	Level	Students	System
École de Sayabec (Sayabec, primaire de)In SayabecElementary	Elementary	–	French public
École de Sayabec (Sayabec, secondaire de)In SayabecSecondary	Secondary	–	French public

See all 4 schools →

0.3 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageSayabec’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Every school4 schools within 3 km · 3 elementary schools and 1 secondary school Language0 of 4 teach in English · 10% of schools in Quebec Questions“What schools are there in Sayabec?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Ungraded on schools in Quebec, because the ministry publishes its success rates by school service centre, not school by school.

Weather

What November brings in Sayabec: −3°C at night, 4°C by day

4°Ca normal November afternoon

ECCC’s forecast for Amqui is on the Weather page, hour by hour. In November, the normal is 74 mm of rain and snow. The month after, December, normally sees −3°C afternoons and −10°C nights. Snowfall in a normal November: 31 cm.

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November4°C

December−3°C

January−7°C

February−6°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	−5°C	−13°C	220 mm
Spring	6°C	−2°C	210 mm
Summer	22°C	11°C	246 mm
Autumn	10°C	3°C	256 mm

−3°C

a normal November night

74 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageSayabec’s weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest July, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Mont-Joli); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Lorenzo Ouellet is mayor of Sayabec

44 of the 78 MPs from Quebec belong to the Liberal Party of Canada.

Full pageSayabec’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Member of ParliamentMaxime Blanchette-Joncas Provincial legislatureMatane-Matapédia

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade C⁺

Sayabec’s public library is Bibliothèque Quilit

It sits 0.3 km from the centre of Sayabec.

Full pageSayabec’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

The libraries1 Libraries Places to belong1.7 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

History

Older housing stands out in Sayabec: 41% predates 1961

2historic places

Among the places are a heritage railway station and a municipal citation. The earliest construction date, 1912, belongs to Canadian National Railways Station, Sayabec, Quebec. Federal, provincial and local lists together give 2 historic places here.

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations0

Other federal designations1

Provincial and local listings1

Among them

Canadian National Railways Station, Sayabec, Quebec 1912
Sayabec 1912

1912

oldest construction date on the record

41%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

Heritage	Sayabec	Quebec	Canada
Homes built before 1961	41%	21%	18%

Full pageSayabec’s history pageOpen the full History page

Older homes41% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%On the registers2 historic places inside the town Questions“How many historic places does Sayabec have?”

Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Sayabec

15pages on Sayabec

The big questions

SafetyBCrime Severity Index 54 Housing & costAHomes 2.2 × income Property pricesSchools4 schools within 3 km HealthB⁺Life expectancy 81.7 in its region Work & commuteC⁻45% of adults in work Natural hazardsC⁻Wildfire band: low

Out and about

OutdoorsAttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 23°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 52 History2 places on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Famous people from Sayabec

7 notable people were born in Sayabec.

See all 7 →

David PelletierCanadian pair skater · born 1974

Jordan CaronCanadian ice hockey player · born 1990

Irvin PelletierCanadian politician · born 1946

Jules BoucherCanadian politician · 1933–1999

Maurice LeClairCanadian physician and businessman · 1927–2020

Carolanne D'Astous-PaquetCanadian singer · born 1990

About Sayabec

Town in Quebec

Every figure TownRatings gives for Sayabec covers the municipality as Statistics Canada maps it, one census subdivision in Quebec.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 1,763 (people, 2025 estimate)
Province or territory: Quebec
Census division: La Matapédia
Census subdivision: 2407085

Questions about Sayabec

Who are the people of Sayabec?

Visible minorities are 0% of the population, where the middle of Canadian towns is 15%. Immigrants make up 0%, and Indigenous people 2%.

Do people in Sayabec speak French?

French is the common language here. 13% of residents also speak English (the median of Canadian towns: 8%), and 86.8% speak French but not English.

What kind of homes are in Sayabec?

Single-detached houses make up 75% of the homes here, where Canadian towns sit at 64%; 0% are in high-rise apartments. 36% of households are one person, and the average is 2.1.

Has Sayabec grown?

No: the census counted 1,831 in 2016 and 1,706 in 2021, 6.8% fewer, against growth of 4.1% for the median of Canadian towns. The 2025 estimate is 1,763.

Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).